New kids on the block: London's hotel boom and the new openings around the world to have on your radar

I doubt there’s ever been a busier year for five-star hotel openings in London than 2026, from Cambridge House, the centrepiece of the Reuben Brothers’ £1 billion Piccadilly Estate regeneration, to The Newman in Fitzrovia (‘I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, but the cocktail bar is absolutely incredible,’ said a colleague via WhatsApp, mid hard-hat tour). Two have decided to anchor their properties next to or inside renowned London locations: The Zetter Bloomsbury, which shares a brick wall with the British Museum, and the Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch, respectively.

Others of note include St Regis London, The Shepherd Mayfair, and St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames — Nick Jones’s first hotel project outside the now flailing Soho House brand.

Despite reports that the removal of VAT-free shopping for international visitors is driving high-spending tourists to Paris and Milan and right-wing politicians’ protestations that London is a ‘hellscape’, the hospitality industry clearly believes London still exudes a certain allure. In an interview with the Financial Times in late 2025, Sadiq Khan accused the naysayers of trying to tear down London because it’s ‘diverse, progressive, liberal, multicultural and incredibly successful’. Jules Perowne, founder and CEO consultancy firm Perowne International, is more matter of fact: ‘The plan for these properties was made years ago because London is a critical location on the map of any international hotel group.’ However, she finishes on a high: ‘The future looks bright for London.’

Best of the global rest

The UK

• Hope, Scotland WildLand’s conservation empire is expanding with Hope, which opens in the Highlands this May, comprising a hunting lodge-turned-hotel and a clutch of self-catering cottages, with activities such as guided wildlife tracking
• Kabn Cairngorms, Scotland These luxury, off-grid cabins in the Cairngorms National Park will each come with a kitchen, woodburning stove and e-bikes for exploring when they open in September
• Teffont House, Wiltshire In July, the Beckford Group (behind South-West favourite Beckford Canteen in Bath) opens the doors to its first hotel in the Nadder Valley — complete with a croquet lawn and treatment cabin
• The Gallivant Littlestone Beach, Kent The Gallivant Littlestone Beach is a seaside bolthole, with interiors inspired by the Hamptons in the 1920s. It opens this summer and we recommend booking early given the success of sister hotel The Gallivant near Rye in East Sussex
• Wildhive Eshott Hall, Northumberland The Wildhive Collection’s second country-house hotel opens this summer. Rooms will be spread across the Georgian manor house, former stable and woodland cabins

Europe

• Château la Commaraine, Beaune, France This 12th-century estate, within Burgundy’s UNESCO World Heritage area, will reopen in March after a four-year restoration. As well as a vineyard, the château has a cuverie
• Nordelaia Sur Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France Nordelaia Sur Mer follows in the footsteps of a sister hotel of the same name in Piedmont, Italy. It opens this spring with a rooftop terrace, tapas-style restaurant and outdoor pool
• Na Praia, Comporta, Portugal The brains behind São Lourenço do Barroca in the heart of Portugal’s Alentejo region, an estate and working farm owned by the same family for 200 years, have turned their attention to coastal retreat Na Praia, near Comporta (na praia means ‘on the beach’ in Portuguese). The suites, houses and villas — opening in May — border a nature reserve

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• La Réserve Firenze, Florence, Italy This 15th-century palazzo has been reimagined as six apartments by a French couple, with French hotel group La Réserve (above). Choose between city or river views and join the owners for tennis at their home on the city outskirts. It opens in June
• Orient Express Corinthian, the Mediterranean The world’s largest sailing yacht embarks on its maiden Mediterranean voyage this June. Think handsome cabins, food by Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno and a Guerlain spa

The Americas

• White Elephant Aspen, Colorado, USA A White Elephant outpost opens later this year in the US’s glitziest ski resort, stuffed full of bespoke furniture and contemporary art
• Chablé Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico Chablé is a homegrown Mexican hotel group with standout properties in the Yucatán and Riviera Maya. Its latest venture is in the emerging wine region of Baja California Norte and opens in late 2026
• Voaara Grenadines, Palm Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Hot on the heels of Voaara Madagascar comes a property in the Caribbean with beach bungalows and Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine. It opens in December

Africa

• Hoanib Elephant Camp, Tanzania This tented camp by Natural Selection opens in remote Kaokoland in May, offering a chance to interact with the region’s desert-adapted elephants
• Erebero Hills Lodge, Uganda This Asilia Africa lodge on the fringes of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, well placed for gorilla trekking, opens in September with eight hillside suites and a pool deck
• Singita Elela Lodge, Botswana Singita’s first venture in Botswana, opening in December, will combine next-level service with exclusive access to 420,000 acres of protected wilderness in the Okavango Delta

Asia

• Aqua Lares, Seychelles From this month, the ultra-luxury expedition yacht Aqua Lares will offer itineraries around the Seychelles — as well as extended voyages in the Zanzibar archipelago
• Capella Kyoto, Japan Inspired by traditional machiya (a wooden townhouse), this hotel is close to Kenninji, Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple, in the Miyagawa-cho district. It opens this spring
• The Malkai, Oman This trio of extraordinary camps on the coastal plains of Barka, the Al Hajar mountains and Sharqiyah Sands is launched in September. Guests will be ferried between them in bespoke Land Rovers